Fully-funded PhD project: Computational modeling and data mining of early markers of Alzheimer’s disease Lab / Host institution : Group of Mathematical, Computational and Experimental Neuroscience (MCEN) at the Basque Center of Applied Mathematics (BCAM) Location : Bilbao, The Basque Country, Spain Duration : 3 years. Stipend : 18k EUR/year + mobility allowance Starting date : immediate Scientific background : Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic, age-related neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cognitive decline, memory loss, personality changes, and withdrawal. The causes of AD remain poorly understood and no treatment is currently available to stop or reverse the progress of the disease nor to reduce the risk of developing it. The principal pathological hallmark of AD is the accumulation in the brain of senile plaques, primarily composed of the amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide, and tangles of filaments of hyperphosphorylated tau protein. However, population-based studies show that there is a continuum of AD type pathology in the aging population, with considerable overlap in the burdens of tangle and plaque pathology in demented vs. non-demented individuals. It is therefore difficult to establish thresholds of classical lesions for the prediction of dementia and additional factors are operative to determine whether a given burden of pathology is associated with cognitive impairment. There is therefore a need to explore non-standard pathological markers. Workplan : The candidate will deploy mathematical tools to simulate biophysical processes that could underpin deposition of amyloid beta plaques and tau filaments. Emphasis will be on emerging evidence on the interaction between neurons and glial cells, to identify potential mechanisms that promote local excitation of neuronal networks at the onset of AD, before cognitive impairment takes over, or when only mild cognitive deficits are diagnosed. The project is strongly interdisciplinary, as the candidate will pursue computational research in close collaboration with experimentalists to design realistic models inspired by experiments in cell cultures and brain slices from AD mouse models. At the same time she/he will be able to design experiments based on predictions from her/his models. Working environment : The candidate will be supervised by Dr. Maurizio De Pittà in all the aspects of the project. Dr. De Pittà is a leading expert on computational modeling of neuron-glia interactions, with an experience in computational neuroscience of 10+ years. Dr. De Pittà recently joined the MCEN group at BCAM as « Junior Leader » fellow with a start-up grant supported by la Caixa Banking Foundation. The MCEN group is a rapidly growing team led by Ikerbasque Professor Serafim Rodrigues, that was established in 2016 as part of the strategic research portfolio enacted by the Basque Country to foster interdisciplinary research in Neuroscience. The candidate will collaborate with Dr. Elena Alberdi and Prof. Carlos Matute at Achucarro, the Basque Center for Neuroscience in Bilbao, at the local campus of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). BCAM is one of the Severo Ochoa’s excellence centers for scientific research in Spain providing a fertile international environment for enriching scientific collaborations. Bilbao, as the capital of the Basque Country in Spain, is a vibrant, friendly city with one of the highest standards of life quality in Spain. Requirements : -- Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Physics, Mathematics, Engineering, or related fields -- Excellent English skills (oral and written) -- Programming skills in Matlab, Python and C/C++ -- High motivation for interdisciplinary research with strong interests for biological details with an analytic mindset -- Essential knowledge of neuroscience, cell biology and biochemistry is preferred but not required Additional notes : This is a cutting-edge project that ideally matches with outstanding and creative candidates, with a strong motivation for international collaborations, mobility, and independence. The candidate is supposed to work on the project full-time (i.e. part-time agreements are taken into consideration), and must be . To apply : Applicants should send a CV with letter of motivation (max 2 pages) to Dr. De Pittà at mdepitta@bcamath.org with headings : « PhD Candidacy ». Review of applicants is incumbent, and will continue until the position is filled. The earliest start date is November 2018. -- Maurizio De Pittà https://sites.google.com/site/mauriziodepitta/